Gaming machines which provide players awards in primary or base games are well known. Gaming machines generally require the player to place or make a wager to activate the primary or base game. In many of these gaming machines, the award is based on the player obtaining a winning symbol or symbol combination and on the amount of the wager (e.g., the higher the wager, the higher the award). Generally, symbols or symbol combinations which are less likely to occur usually provide higher awards. In such known gaming machines, the amount of the wager made on the base game by the player may vary.
Gaming machines which provide secondary or bonus games are also known. The secondary or bonus games usually provide an additional award, such as a bonus award, to the player. Secondary or bonus games usually do not require an additional wager by the player to be activated. Instead, secondary or bonus games are generally activated or triggered upon an occurrence of a designated triggering symbol or triggering symbol combination in the primary or base game. For instance, a bonus symbol occurring on the payline on the third reel of a three reel slot machine may trigger the secondary bonus game. When a secondary or bonus game is triggered, the gaming machine generally indicates this triggering to the player through one or more visual and/or audio output devices, such as the reels, lights, speakers, video screens, etc. Part of the enjoyment and excitement of playing certain gaming machines is the occurrence or triggering of the secondary or bonus game (even before the player knows how much the bonus award will be).
Another known game feature that can add to player excitement is the potential to win large awards. Certain slot machine games in certain jurisdictions offer a wheel bonus game with at least one section of the wheel offering an exceptional award (such as a 1000× prize, a jackpot prize, or an entry into another bonus game). These bonus games typically rely upon a weighted wheel mechanism such that the odds of a given section of the wheel being selected for the outcome is not proportional to circular width of the section. Were equal sized sections equally likely to be selected in such bonus games, the overall expected bonus award value would be too high for the desired bonus frequency.
In certain jurisdictions, whether due to regulation and/or due to market expectations, bonus wheels may not be weighted. In other words, the odds of any given section being indicated must be exactly proportional to the section's circular width. Such restrictions prevent the use of especially large wheel sections while maintaining a desirable bonus frequency. Therefore, there is a need to be able to provide higher-value awards in such a wheel-based bonus without the use of outcome weighting. In other words, there is a need to be able to provide one or more win events at a win frequency significantly lower than the least likely outcome of a single spin of an un-weighted wheel.
There also exist various games that award a non-standard prize such as an ever-increasing progressive jackpot award or a physical prize such as a car. Certain of these games with progressive jackpots offer two or more jackpot awards that a player can be eligible to win on a given play of the game, often referred to in the industry as multi-level progressive game. In certain multi-level progressive games, the chance of winning at a given level varies relative to level, typically such that the higher the average jackpot award value, the harder it is to win that level. In certain implementations, these diminishing probabilities follow a strict geometric sequence, such as a 1/1000 chance to win the jackpot level with the lowest average jackpot award, a 1/2000 chance to win the jackpot level with the second lowest average jackpot award, and a 1/4000 chance to win the jackpot level with the highest average jackpot award for a three-level multi-level progressive award configuration. In certain implementations, each eligible jackpot level is equi-probable of being won.
There also exist various games with more than one bonus wheel which can be activated in a given bonus game. These typically are offered in two forms: (1) the player earns the sum of the values from the spin of each of the bonus wheels; and (2) the player earns the sum of the values from the spin of each award bonus wheel multiplied by the sum of the values of the spins of each multiplier bonus wheel. There is a need to leverage the popular mechanism available via a bonus game with two or more bonus wheels while maintaining strict control of the relative odds of two or more designated prizes, especially when the weighting of wheel outcomes is not allowed by the specific jurisdiction.
Additionally, since gaming machines with award displays such as bonus wheels are very popular with many players, there is a continuing need to provide new award displays and configurations such as new and different bonus wheel configurations.